Concordia Nearly Topples Second Straight Top-20 Team at Summer Slam
LA MIRADA, Calif.—A day after knocking down a pair of California strongholds, the Cavs dropped two matches against powerhouses Westmont and Biola to conclude the Biola Summer Slam with a 2-2 record.
Concordia fell to No. 16-ranked Westmont 3-2 (26-24, 26-24, 25-23, 25-15, 15-12) while getting swept by No. 4-ranked Biola (25-16, 25-17, 25-17).
"I thought we had a great showing in our first three matches this weekend," CU head coach
Melanie Hambelton said. "Our defense was outstanding all weekend and we never gave up, but our offense will need to develop some consistency."
The Cavs stood toe-to-toe against Westmont in the first two sets of the afternoon match, but fell to a 2-0 deficit after the Warriors held on to 26-24 wins. Down 17-9 and facing a sweep, Concordia went on a 9-1 run to tie the set at 18-all and kept the momentum going en route to a 25-23 victory.
Tired of the close contests, the Cavaliers hit .440 to dominate the fourth set with a 25-15 win to force a fifth set, the team's second of the young season.
Worn down, Concordia's offense slowed slightly but Westmont responded with a .357 success rate in the culminating set. Westmont's Kessica McCann led the court with 18 kills and was followed by teammate Madison Serrano (15).
Brianna Hogan (Portland, Ore./Centennial H.S.) led Concordia with 12 kills, two up on fellow Cavalier
Mariah Raudsepp (Dundee, Ore./C.S. Lewis Academy).
In the tournament finale against the No. 4-ranked Eagles from Biola, Concordia was held to a season-low 24 kills while Biola's Emily Weststeyn, a returning NAIA first-team All-American, registered 18 kills on her own to send the Cavs to their second straight defeat.
The opening set was tied on seven occasions early in the bout, the final with the score 9-9, before Weststeyn took control with seven first-set kills to lead Biola to a 25-16 win in the opener. The Eagles limited the Cavs again in the second, outhitting its opponent .000 to .278 for an eight-point win.
The Cavaliers squared the third set at 10-all following a Biola error and a
Shantel Gritsch (Gresham, Ore./Clackamas H.S.) ace, but the Eagles closed the match with a 17-7 run.
With just a single attacking error,
Amanda Goringe (Aloha, Ore./Aloha H.S.) paced CU with eight kills for a .583 hitting percentage. Hogan,
Mariah Raudsepp (Dundee, Ore./C.S. Lewis Academy) and
Melanie Miller (Hillsboro, Ore./Liberty H.S.) followed with four kills each.
Concordia will return to action on Tuesday, August 27 for its home opener against Simpson University. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. inside the Cavalier Gymnasium.